Copper-refining.



u. A. GARRED. COPPER REFINING.

APPLICATION FILED APR.26. I9I6. n 1,198,434 I Parentedsept. 19,1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

U. A. GARRED.

COFFEE REFINING;

APPLICATION FILED APR.26. i916. 1,198,434. Patenasepn.19,1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- 251/5565 f1' Gar/ed- U. A. GARRED.

COPPER 'REF|N'|NG. n APPLICATION FILED APII.26, |916.

' '3 SHEETSSHEET 3- dz# y lyssesarfeduLYssEs A. GAERED, or NEW YORK, N.Y.

COPPER-REFINING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

p Patented sept. 19, 191e.

Application led April 26, 1916. Serial No. 93,728.-

To all whom/.t may concern:

Be it known that I,.ULYssEs A. GARRED,

la citizen of the United States, residing at NewYork, in the county ofNew York and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Copper- Refining, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming:

sought being to subject the impure metal to successive refiningoperations which shall involve a minimum amountl of handling and labor,andwith a viewof obtaining a nal product of copperl practicallystrippedof all' impurities and associated metals with the.

single exception of gold and silver where these happen to be present.A

My improved process or method of treatment eliminates the prevailingunwieldyv melting furnace of the present day, substituting in lieuthereof a cupola furnace 4operating on regulated quantities of a .givencharge whereby the operation of oxidizing or fiapping `to produce set'copper is ymade Y easy and is under perfect control of the operator.

A further object-is to dispense with the prevailing operation of wood,poling and substitute in lieu thereof blast poling wherel,

by the reducing agents may readily permeate all portions of the bathundergoing deoxidation, thereby reducing the time of poling to aminimum. The present improvement likewise makes provision for 'apreliminary poling by solid carbon between the-flapping and final polingoperations, thereby reducing the time.of blast. poling at the -finalstages of the process.

The invention contemplates not only the process of treatment but alsothe general arrangement of apparatus in which the successive stages ofthe process are carried on.

` Its advantages willffully appear from the following detaileddescription of the invenand pointed out in the' tion `inconnection `withthe accompanying drawlngs in which- Figure 1 represents a combined sideelevation and middle vertical f longitudinal section of theflapping andpoling apparatus, the4 casting machinebeing omitted; Fig. 2 1s a topplan of the entire apparatus, parts being broken away; and Fig. 3 is afront elevation of the flapping and poling apparatus, the polingfurnaces being shown in vertical cross-section, the plane of sectionbeing taken through the pouring spouts.

Referrlng to the drawings, l, represents' a cupola furnace provided witha charging opening 0 at a point fromtwe'lve -to fifteen feet above thehearth It, a suitable discharge spout s leading from the hearth as wellunderstood in the art. y In .the present embodiment of my invention thecupola is provided with a chambered offset 2 opposite the spout s, thechamber c of saidoffset receiving the spray of fuel dischargedthereintov from a nozzle 3 opposite the middle T or fitting t at thedischarge terminal of the pipe 4 through which air 'undef pressure isforced by means of a pump or blower B. The air current traversing thepipe or nozzle, 3 is charged with pulverized coal or coal 'dust from thecentral compartment of a hopper 5, the rate of discharge from anycompartment being controlled by a gate 6 past which the fuel drops intoa screw conveyer casing 7 thence into a hollow fitting or mixing chamber8 from which the nozzle or spray pipe 3 leads The foregoing is the'conventional and well known formjof pulverized c oal burner and furtherdescription thereof is unnecessary.

In the present embodiment of my invention the air pipe 4 terminates inthree Ts t, from which the air is conducted to the fittings or mixingchambers 8 by branch pipes m, suitable air-conducting pipes 3',3*,l`eading outward and downward'from the terminal chambersanddischarging sprays of fuel into the poling furnaces F through arcuateslots a, a, formed in the heads thereof, said furnaces being of therotary or tilting type 'on the Vorder of the conventional converter,

the fumes from which are allowed to escape lli) ' the receptacle throughspout P. In the present embodiment of my invention the furnaces F 'areoperated 1n pairs, one furnace discharging while the ope Aposite one ispoling or blowing, the -poled copper being poured into a launder Lwhence it is conducted to any type of casting machine M. These are shownconventi onally in the drawings, forming no part of the presentinvention. f

In practising my inventionI preferably pass the molten oxidized orflapped copper discharged by the spout s of the cupola furnace, througha tower 11 filled with charcoal Z with a view of subjecting the moltenmetal to a preliminary poling while in contact with the charcoal, thepartially poled metal discharging from the charcoal tower into a tiltinglaunder 12 (containing charcoald) mounted in any suitable manner tooscillate about astud 13 (Fig. 8), thedepressed end of thelaunderdischarging into a receptacle 14 carried'by the head of the polingfurnace into which the metal .finds its way from the opening e." Thus,while one of the poling furnaces is tilted to pour its contents into thelaunder L, the other is tilted to poling position and for receiving itscharge from the launder 12 (Fig. 3). e In the present embodiment of myinvention the linal poling of the copper in .the furnace F, isaccomplished by blowing pulverized charcoal or its equivalent into thefurnace at points beneath the charge, the driving Huid employed forforcing the fuel into the molten mass being any form of hydrocarbon orequivalent reducing gas under equivalent fuel pressure, examples ofwhich are illuminating gas, hydrogen and the like, the mixture of gasand pulverized charcoal or its equivalent as for example saw dust)rising up through the copper and thoroughly stirring and mixing the bathand bringing every particle of copper in contact with the reducingagents (carbon, hydrogen) so admitted. To effect thorough stirring andagitation of the bath inthev poling furnace, I prefer to-have the blowernozzles or pipes 15 discharge tangentially tothe inner cylindricalsurface ofthe furnace lining (Fig. 3), a seriesof such pipes beingdisposed along the side of the furnace. The outer en d of each nozzle orblower pipe'is coupled to one end of a flexible hose 16 whose oppositeend connects to a. T 17, to one leg of which is coupled the air pipe 18adapted to deliver air under pressure thereto, a suitable valve o beingprovided to cut off the air when not needed. Communicating with anotherleg of the T 17 is one end of a leads from the discharge end of the gaschamber 2() into which powdered charcoal or drops from thefeedscrewcasing'21 to 'which said charcoalr fuel is supplied from a hopper 22 inmuch the same manner as the fuel is fed to the mixing per, the flamingpipe 19 whose opposite end chamber 8 from the Ahopper 5 previouslydescribed in connectionwith'the cupola l and poling furnaces In thepresent instance however the chamber 20 in lieu of receiving air underpressure as is the case withthe mixing chamber 8, receives a suitablereducing gas such as a hydro-carbon gas or hydrogen underpressure, saidgas being conducted thereto'through a-pipe leading from any suitablesource of gas supply (not shown). The gas may be cut off from the T 17when desired, by manipulating the valve o on the pipe 19. With thearrangement just described I may discharge into the poling furnacebeneath the surface of the bath therein either air for flapping (shouldthis become necessary closing the valve fv and opening valve o, or amixture of gas and fuel for purposes of poling by closing valve o andopening valve o, or I may simply introduce gas under pressure bycuttingoff the fuel supply from the chamber 20 by Stopping thescrew-feed operating in the casing 21, the valve v being left open andthe valve e' closed. The charcoal tower 11 is supplied with charcoalfrom time to time from a storage bin or hopper 24 from which itdischarges into the tower through a chute 25.

The operation may be described as -follows: The impure copper Cisc'harged into the cupola furnace as described, the metal gravitatingor settling toward the heart-h it. As themetal melts away at the hearthfresh additions are made to the charge the contents of thefurnace at aconstant height of from twelve to fifteen feet. In this way the greaterportion of the waste furnace heat will be utilized to advantage, theheated gases rising up through the spaces or openings between the copperpieces, imparting their heat to the copper so that on escaping from thetop of the furnace the gases will be comparatively cool. As the chargesettles down past the chamber c, the pulverized fuel projected from thenozzle 3 and previously ignitediimpinges portions of the descendingcolumn of copparticles and highly heated products of combustion meltingthe charge which settles on the hearth the air supplied to the nozzle 3being so regulated as to bring about the necessary apping or oxidationof the melted portions of the charge,

the flapped molten metal as fast as it accumulates on the hearth flowingthrough the spout s into the top Aof the charcoal tower 11, the charcoal'in said tower and in the launder 12 into which it charged from thetower having the effect of partially poling or reducing the lapped oroxidized copper. From the launder 12 the copper runs linto thereceptacle 14 of either one or the other of the poling furissubsequently disfor any reason) by Vthrough the opening 0 so as toVmaintain against the bottom naces .F into which it --flows through theopening e. The temperature in the poling furnace is maintainedsufficiently high to keep'the copper in a molten or fluid condition,said temperature being brought about by the 'burning of the powderedfuel deliv- -ered thereto by the pipes identified4 withthe pulverizedcoal burner which. supplies the nozzle 8. Should the charge in thepoling furnace require flapping or further oxidation before the same vissubjectedt'o the' blast poling, such flapping can be accomplished byblowing air through the` nozzles 15 `beneath-the charge by the v,openingof the valves Q1 and the `closing of the valves v.'

The metal being in' condition for final poling\ (with or withoutprevious flapping in thefurnace F, depending on the nature of thecharge, a matter of which the skilled operator isa Icompetent judge),the operator directs hydro-carbon or equivalent reducing gas underpressure from the pipes 23 to the chambers 20 and nozzles 15 (the valvec be- -ing closed), ,at the same time feedingay proper complement ofpowdered charcoal to the chambers 2O from the hopper 22 as previouslydescribed. The charcoal laden gas is thus forced beneath and 'throughthe molten charge the level of whichis indicated Vby the dotted line a:inthe right hand furnace F, Fig.` 3, and every particle of oxidizedcopper is thus reached and reducedto the metallic state. Any slaggwhichforms may be skimmedI off'- in any way known tothe art before the copperis poured.- When the metal is ready to be poured, the furnace is rotatedthrough a suflicient arc to bring4 the spout P thereofinto dischargingposition (the flexible hose 16 and the' slots a, allowing for lthenecessary' rotation) when the metal runs into the launder L and thenceinto thecasting machine MI as well under- A stood in the art. Should thegas alone Aprove sufficient to pole the metal' in the furnace-F,

the fuel feed` to the chambers 20inay be cut off as-obvious from thedrawings.4 When" one furnace F is blowing or poling the other p' isdischarging, the launder 12 being inclined o-r tilted toward thereceptacle 14 of the furnace in which the charge isl to be poled (seeFig. 3).

As the bottom portions of the charge of copper in the cupola furnace 1melt away,

and are flapped and discharged through' the spout s, fresh-portions ofthe descen'dingor. gravitating copper column confined in and constantly'charged into the furnace .take their place and come oppositetheinflammable particles and highly heated products of combustion projectedagainst them from the nozzle 3, and, these in turn vare melted andflapped and discharged', thus makingv the 'process continuous. Bycarefully regu- 'lating the fuel and .air supply the copper.-

may be broiight to the desired oxidized or flapped. condition `beforedischarging into.

lthevcharcoal 'tower 11. In some cases the composition of fuel or tosolid fuel, o`r to' the use of charcoal or specific gas for polingpurposes. I may employ liquid jor gaseous fuel f or `,coal dust 'orpowdered coal and sawdust in lieu of charcoal or in lieu of coal, and infact I may use any 4reagent I do not wish to be limited which will 'actproperly, to bring 'about theY results here contemplated.

The several instrumentalities by which the copper is handled and treatedas described, are shown more or less conventionally, the furnaces,launders, towers, and so on 'being old per se, the novelty so faras itenters' into lthe physical part of the invention residing in thecooperative relation b'etween the several partsby which the copper mayb'e refined with a minimum amount of handling. The process by which therefining is accomplished I 'consider to be new. Features shown but notalluded rto are well 'understood inthe art and require no description inthe present connection. too that so far as theapparatus is conc'erned Imay depart in many particulars 'from the detailsV here 'shown withoutaffecting the nature or spirit of my inventi'on.,

In lie'u of gas forcing the pulverized charcoal into the poling furnaceI may if so desired, force the charcoal by mechanical means suchas ascrew without departing -from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention what I claiinis: 4 y j y1. In the refiningof copper, the process of feedinga charge'of the copper through a cupolafurnace, subjecting the same to the action of flaming particles and aproper charge on the hearth of the furnace, passing the flapped moltenmetal over solid carbonaceous material to partially pole the metal,conducting the partially poled metal to a suitable poling furnace,blowing the molten metal in said furnace with air to effect any desiredoxidation, andfinally blowing the 'charge with non-oxidizing gas chargedvwith finely divided carbon particles to complete the poling.-

2. A copper refining `system comprising a It is apparenty -,complementof air to melt and flap the cupola chargeable with copper and providedl" with a hearth and discharge spout leading'- 'mately delivering thesane to the respective V1E therefrom, means for projecting inamfurnaces,and means for poling the Huid mable particles and highly heated productscharges in' said furnaces.

cf combustion and, air above the hearth for In testimony whereof; I aiXmy signamelting and flapping the lower Yterminal ture, in presence oftwo Witnesses.

of the descending column of copper, a pair ULYSSESA-GARRED. of polingfurnaces spaced apart, atilting Witnesses: launder receiving the moltenfiapped cop- M. E. RUTLEDGE,

per from the cupola furnace vand alter- A; B. PHISTER.

